When Life Throws You Lemons - Wendy H. Jones

 

When writing the first blog of the year it always leaves me wondering what I should say. As this one falls on the 16th of the month all the usual New Year's Resolutions have been covered and most people are gazing in dismay at the bills from Christmas. Add in the added pressures of COVID (there I said it) and lockdown and it really leaves me wondering - what the heck can I do to make this better. Well, I'm a definite glass half full girl and a great believer in making lemonade from the lemons of life. So, I handed myself a challenge to think about what good has, or could, come out of this as a writer. So let's see what it's like on the bright side. 

The first thing that has happened since last March and the first lockdown is that I have had to stay at home. When I say stay at home, I don't just mean inside my house, I mean no travel and all speaking engagements have had to be cancelled. Usually I spend many weeks of the year travelling which I love. However, it meant I didn't get to see my neighbours much. I now know them so much better and it's been a joy to connect properly. I've discovered how lovely people can be and how much they look out for each other. As I write crime books it is easy for me to focus on the bad in society. However, I can now balance this and bring in the inherent good in people. Now, don't get me wrong, I always believed people were good but it has made me think that there needs to be greater balance in my writing. 

As a prolific reader, I always have a book on the go and read copious amounts of books each year. This year, I read 123, or so Goodreads tells me. I think it's slightly more than that as a few escaped before being entered into my Goodreads challenge. Not only have I read more books but I've also read more widely. I had set up a reading challenge on Facebook (This year it's Wendy's Reading Challenge 2021 if you would like to join). The idea was that I, and anyone else who joined followed the 28 categories and read a book of their choosing from each category. This years categories are things like 1. A novella 2. Book with a yellow cover. 3. A book by or about Hemmingway. And so it goes through 35 categories. What has this got to do with writing I hear you cry? Well, the answer is simple - reading widely makes you a better writer. Numerous studies have outlined and described the changes in the brain brought about by reading. It can literally change your neurological connections. So, I would encourage you to read voraciously and widely. Heck you've got the time. Unless you are suddenly homeschooling the kids of course, in which case that's a totally different scale of madness. You have my sympathy.

Next, it has helped me channel my inner geek. Not that my geek was ever inner - I've been a geek since I was a child - any new technology and I'm on it right from the get go. However, it did mean that I began using platforms such as zoom much more and in a more deliberate manner. I have spoken at numerous international summits and from this was invited as compiler, editor and contributor of an international best-selling series of books - The Power of Why. The networking opportunities this year have been phenomenal and I've made friends and connected with businesswomen from all around the world. None of this would have happened without the collision of lockdown and technology. 

I have also started a marketing course for writers, Start Marketing Your Book, developed my business as a writing and marketing coach and started a brand new membership to help writers either start out in the business of writing or develop as an authorpreneur. Authorpreneur Accelerator Academy was launched on the 1st of January 2021. Members are loving the membership, which is a mixture of online courses, coaching calls, masterclasses, Facebook Live and a private Facebook Group. It really is a one-stop-shop for all you need to run a business as an author. 

There was a lot more that happened, and I know there will be even more this year. Whilst I appreciate it is difficult for many, and I am not dismissing that, I decided to see what opportunities I could embrace to make things better, not only for me, but for others. As I stand on the cusp of a brand new year, I feel I have achieved something and really have made that lemonade.

Why am I telling you all of this, as it does look a little like - look what I've done. That's not the case at all. The reason I am saying this is to encourage you to try new things and to look for ways you can pivot and change. This means you can bring something good out of the mess that is COVID and the years 2020 and 2021. Grab the opportunity and see what you can make of it. I'll be rooting for you every step of the way and will be toasting your success with lemonade. 

About the Author 

Wendy H. Jones is an international best-selling author who writes adult crime books, young adult mysteries, children's picture books and non-fiction books for writers. She is also a writing and marketing coach, runs the Writing Matters Online School and is the CEO of Authorpreneur Accelerator Academy, The president of the Scottish Association of Writers and hosts the writing and marketing show podcast.